Certainly not Elaine Grossinger Etess, daughter of hotelier Jennie Grossinger. Etess was the executive vice president at Grossinger's prior to its sale in 1985 and holds the distinction of being the first woman president of the American Hotel & Motel Association.

She says you wouldn't have been served dried fruit quinoa pilaf, either, during Grossinger's heyday, when the hotel was packed for the Jewish holidays.

"The joke used to be that it was as hard to get a reservation at Grossinger's for Passover back then (when 1,200 guests would be served) as it was to get tickets to a Giants game," says Etess, a Liberty native who was also president of its school board for 12 years. "There was a dining room staff of about 60, waiting with their trays for the service to end ... so everyone got their melon at about the same time."

Etess says some families would also come for the 10 days between Rosh Hashana, the New Year — which this year begins at sundown on Sept. 16 — and Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. Others would travel back and forth.

"Women didn't have to cook, the fall weather was beautiful, and everyone was dressed. It was a fashion show," she says. "Rosh Hashana was lovely, just lovely.

"Then there was (tenor) Misha Raitzin. Not only was he a cantor, but a Met star. To hear those beautiful tones. ... The Kol Nidre sung and chanted at Yom Kippur ..."

Along with the religious significance, no holiday was complete without food.

"We're no longer just cooking Mom's favorites, although there's certainly a place for comfort food," she says. "Today, people are more gastronomically sophisticated — and health conscious. ... So we take that old-fashioned food and adjust it for health."

Traditional kugel, or noodle pudding, for example, can be greasy, she says. "So now we use as little fat as possible."

Serving a dried-fruits stuffing and baby green beans and wild mushrooms with duck was unheard of, she says, as would be traditional brisket done in a sweet-and-sour style, accompanied by grilled leeks and pesto-roasted fingerling potatoes.

"Years ago, people were just happy not to have to cook at home," she says. "Now they want to read about food, which has become an art form."

She, too, reads recipes that often sound good — but that she wouldn't make because they're too heavy and not healthy. But they can be updated. And supermarket shortcuts can be found, such as string beans that are already cleaned or pre-packaged salads.

Etess, now of Boca Raton, is more than 1,000 miles away from some of her very fond memories. Still, she's not a lunch lady, nor does she play cards. Instead, along with founding her own hospitality consulting firm, she's spent the past 22 years in Boca Raton — as the director of hospitality at Forest Trace, a resort retirement community in Lauderhill, Fla.

"There are 400 residents, and so many were former guests of mine at Grossinger's and other Catskill hotels," she says. "They knew me and my mother and share wonderful stories. This is a job of joy for me."

Etess is returning some of that joy by sharing with the folks back home some of this year's Rosh Hashana recipes developed by Chef Ken Midlaw of Forest Trace:

ROSH HASHANA SALAD

Serves 8

Ingredients

8 cups organic field greens

1 head romaine lettuce, torn

1 green, 1 red and 1 yellow apple, sliced or diced with skin intact

1 cup chopped candied walnuts, purchased or homemade (recipe below)

1 pint teardrop tomatoes, cut in half

½ cup pomegranate seeds

Dressing

1 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/3 cup apple cider vinegar

¼ cup orange blossom honey

2 tablespoons chopped garlic

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Place ingredients in a bowl and whisk in oil slowly. Season to taste.

Candied Walnuts

In an 8-quart pot, add 1 cup water and 3 cups of sugar and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes. Add walnuts and stir occasionally to prevent sticking. Remove nuts from sugar mixture and place on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Let cool for 10 minutes and store in a cool, dry place.

DIRECTIONS

In a large bowl, add greens, apples and cooled walnuts. Toss with 1½ cups of the dressing and garnish with tomatoes and pomegranate seeds. Serve immediately.

Mix all ingredients together and reheat before serving, or serve room temperature.

TRI-COLORED CARROTS

8 (each) red, gold and orange baby carrots with tops

Olive oil

Salt, pepper and fresh thyme

Balsamic vinegar

Wash the carrots well, and blanch in lightly seasoned water until fork tender. Then sauté the carrots with a small amount of olive oil, salt, freshly ground black pepper, fresh thyme or rosemary until hot, about 2 to 3 minutes. Serve with a splash of balsamic vinegar.

Mix together by hand, in a bowl, and cover the bottom and sides of a 12-inch spring pan with ¼ inch of the mix, and bake for 10 minutes at 350 degrees F.

FOR THE FILLING1 cup marzipan or almond paste

2 large eggs

½ stick margarine

3 tablespoons sugar

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

Pinch of salt

1 ¼ (pounds) tart apples, peeled and sliced

Using an electric mixture, whip together the almond paste, margarine and sugar, for 3 to 4 minutes. Then add 1 egg at a time, and whip until light and fluffy. At slow speed, add flour and salt. Fill the crust with the filling and arrange the sliced apples on top to make a decorative appearance. Bake for 20 to 25 min at 350 degrees F. Let cool, and finish with glaze.

FOR THE GLAZE

1/3 cup apricot preserves

2 tablespoons water

1 tablespoon amaretto

Place all ingredients in a pot, bring to a boil and brush on top of tart.

DRIED FRUIT QUINOA PILAF

3 cups quinoa, rinsed well under cold water

6 cups water or vegetable broth

Simmer quinoa in lightly seasoned water or vegetable broth for about 10 minutes or until tender. Strain, season to taste and set aside.